| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. | 1God's Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. |
| 2He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. | 2He met Asa and told him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The LORD is with you when you are loyal to him. If you seek him, he will respond to you, but if you reject him, he will reject you. |
| 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. | 3For a long time Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law. |
| 4But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. | 4Because of their distress, they turned back to the LORD God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them. |
| 5In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. | 5In those days no one could travel safely, for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands. |
| 6One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. | 6One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil. |
| 7But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." | 7But as for you, be strong and don't get discouraged, for your work will be rewarded." |
| 8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD's temple. | 8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged. He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the LORD in front of the porch of the LORD's temple. |
| 9Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. | 9He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. |
| 10They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. | 10They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. |
| 11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. | 11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep. |
| 12They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. | 12They solemnly agreed to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being. |
| 13All who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. | 13Anyone who would not seek the LORD God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, male or female. |
| 14They took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. | 14They swore their allegiance to the LORD, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns. |
| 15All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side. | 15All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the LORD and he responded to them. He made them secure on every side. |
| 16King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley. | 16King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. |
| 17Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. | 17The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD throughout his lifetime. |
| 18He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. | 18He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God's temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. |
| 19There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. | 19There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. |
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